Add tempo to change a routine

Most are familiar with the purpose of a bench press...to build a chest. A biceps curl is excellent for building bigger biceps. What exactly determines the ultimate result of the lift..e.g., size, speed, strength, endurance? Do all get an equal stimulus? Doubt it. Adding a tempo to a repetition will highlight the desired training effect.

Tempo can be described as the time it takes to complete the different phases of a strength training repetition. A four digit system was designed to highlight the four parts of a rep.

First number is the eccentric, or lowering, of the weight (e.g., the time it takes going down on a squat or bringing the bar to your chest in a bench press).

The second number represents the time you remain in the stretched position (e.g., the bottom position of a squat) before the concentric (lifting) phase.

The third number or concentric portion, is the actual pushing or pulling of a movement by the athlete.

The fourth number is the amount of time in the "locked out" position or for example the top of a flat bench press.

So a 4010 tempo in the bench press would indicate 4 seconds as the amount of time it takes to lower the weight to the chest, no rest at the chest and 1 second press (typically indicates as fast as possible) and zero rest at the lockout meaning move into the next repetition immediately. 

From here we determine that one repetition using a 4010 tempo would take approximately 6 seconds to complete. Here is where I fill in the blanks. Let's use the 4 main strength qualities relative, functional, hypertrophy and strength endurance. Relative is described as the maximum force an athlete can generate per unit of bodyweight regardless of time of force development. The time under tension per set to achieve relative strength is 0-20 seconds. Sports like gymnastics and wrestling are considered relative strength sports. Functional strength training is defined as the amount of strength it takes for a particular sport. Tension time per set for functional strength is 20-40 seconds. Hypertrophy are tension times that cause the largest return for building bigger muscles. The tension time for this strength quality is 40-70 seconds. Strength endurance is defined as an athlete's tolerance to fatigue in strength performances of longer durations. Time under tension that would best support this quality would be 50-120 seconds. 

I think an important side note is necessary. Regardless of the strength quality you train, I believe in primarily using the 1RM continuum. This indicates the relationship between reps and the 1 repetition maximum. So using the most weight possible with the prescribed repetitions and tempo, will determine the training effect. So now, are all bench presses created equally?

Lifts for Mass and Fat Loss?

How could it be possible that I recommend the same exercises for building muscle mass as I do for burning fat? I am referring to what are commonly known as "Core Lifts". Core Lifts could also be referred to as economy lifts meaning more bang for the buck. Not sure what a core lift is? Watch this:

Adaptation by definition is "Any change in the structure or functioning of an organism that makes it better suited to its environment." What this means in exercise is, based on the stimulus, the body is forced to compensate neurologically/muscularly to be better prepared. So if we run longer and longer distances the body will elevate our aerobic energy system to suit. If we lift very heavy weight for lower repetitions (anaerobic), the body compensates with thicker more dense muscle fiber.

Now we add a core lift.

Take the squat. The squat is a move, as you saw on the video, that involves a large group of muscles like the back, quads, hamstrings, shoulders and traps. When performed with heavy weight for a low amount of repetitions, the body has an obvious responsibility to react with thicker muscle so it can prevent injury. When done with lighter weight for more repetitions, the muscles must adapt to a longer set duration by improving muscular endurance. See why a squat is far superior to a biceps curl in it's ability to create a higher stimulus to the body? Improving our muscle thickness makes us stronger. Improving our muscle endurance burns more calories. DO MORE = GET MORE!!!!

So how's your program?

Sticking to the plan

My partner and friend Chris Grayson burned something on my brain, "What gets measured gets improved". Now that may not have any meaning to you so let me explain. At PowR Performance we have 2 types of clients. Private 1 on 1 and I allow a few people to have memberships meaning they can come and go as they please. In a private setting, sticking to an individual plan is easy. As the client you pay a trainer to get you closer to your goals. As the trainer you have to get people closer to their goals so you can, well, get paid and get referrals. The best way to get a person to their goals is by logging each and every repetition, weight, rest interval and exercise selection in the gym. From there you analyze the data then choose the next path to take to elevate the clients performance. NOW HERE IS THE PROBLEM....

My scenario:

I have been fortunate to be surrounded by very dedicated lifters. Most have become or are becoming advanced. As they develop athletically and have more experience, training designs must follow suit. That's when we add new loading parameters like bands, boards, chains..etc. So as much as I believe in following MY plan in the gym, if I walk in on some people doing chain squats or max effort bench, I throw my program out the window and jump in. I mean come on, your boys are screaming and yelling and I am scheduled to do lunges???

Basically we need to set objectives first than create the path we feel gives us the best chance to get there. If we don't know where we have been, how do we know where to go. Log your training and stick to the plan. What gets measured gets improved.

Everyday is Monday. When is your Monday?

As our nation continues to become more obese and less motivated, I often ask people, "When are you going to start your training and nutrition program?".  The typical answer I get is "Monday". My rebuttal sarcastically is "Everyday is Monday". What I mean is why wait. Getting a better body and  health is a difficult and lengthy process that WILL take more than a day, week, month and possibly years. All changes have to start somewhere. So if we implement "the one day at a time" motto, why not start now. 

When we have the end in mind, it is very difficult to appreciate the small changes we start slowly implementing in our lives like eating breakfast, or getting to the gym. I like setting long term goals as it helps us realize it will take time. I also like setting short term goals too. For example, if you want to lose 50 lbs in 6 months lets start with 1 lb this week and maybe 2 lbs next week.  Let's allow ourselves a moment of appreciation for a job well done.

So when is your Monday?????

Training with maximum effort

As a deveoping strength coach I find myself in a constant struggle to get people lifting more weight. Why is that? Well, a persons ability to move more weight in a particular lift with a particular tempo (or the cadence of an individual repitition) from session to session is a great way of assessing development. Also, it is assumed that if we are lifting more than we have developed more muscle thus elevating our metabolism. So what happens when your not moving forward weekly or just having a bad session does that mean I have lost muscle? Has my metabolism slipped? The answer is not that simple. I believe the largest factor to assessing an individual training session is the last 12-24hrs of the athletes life i.e..your last couple meals, how you slept, or even your stress levels for the day.

Below is a check list of guaranteed ways of improving each and every lifting session.

1. Get 8 hrs of sleep a night. A well rested body is the best way of being focused for the day

2. Eat meals every 3 hrs and a pre workout meal about 1 hr before lifting. The body has to have something to burn

3. Have a plan for lifting. Don't go into the gym and just "figure it out". Have your mind focused all day on what you would like to accomplish that day.

4. Supplements: Basic supplements that support your individual sessions like BCAA's for glycogen support, Beta Alanine to buffer lactic acid, Creatine for heavy lifting, Tyrosine and/or Carnosine for mental focus.

I can help develop these and other plans that are geared towards your individul goals. Go to http://www.powrperformance.com/ for contact information.

Remember we have to learn the best ways to be effective in our athletic development. Hard work is relative. Learn how to be prepared for mind blowing training sessions and get to your goals faster.

Fight winters aches and pains

As I was reminded at 1 am this morning when my daughter woke up with the stomach flu, we are knee deep in winter. So we need to get our bodies and immune systems in line and keep us from spending the majority of the cold months on a couch watching TV. I will give some ideas on keeping healthy this winter.

First, avoid sugar. Sugar lowers our immune systems. Fruit Juices and artificial sweeteners are included here. 

Next, get enough sleep. Getting lots of rest helps fight fatigue, which is an entry way into our body for bacteria and viruses.

Take supplements like Garlic (anti-bacteria), Probiotics (helps by adding good bacteria to the digestive tract), Glutamine (immune support, good for a healthy gut), Vitamin D (for fighting depression and stress), American Ginseng (kills colds in 6 hours) and of course a good multi and zinc.

Exercise: When you exercise you increase circulation and blood flow through the body. The immune system works better at finding a virus with better circulation and helps weed them out.

Wash your hands. This stops the spread of virus to the nose and mouth and also other people as well. 

Apply these few principles and we will have a better chance at getting through this season with our health in order

Circuits For Fat Loss

Guess what, they work. Don't take my word for it here is Kathy. She lost 15.5 lbs in 30 days.

We used a method that would keep our Lean Body Mass while burning fat. What I mean is I believe most people that are on a fat loss specific program have a tendency to lose fat and muscle at the same time. This is what I call "skinny fat". Basically your scale weight is ideal or better but your body fat % is the same or worse. This is due in large part to the increase in work load and decrease in calories putting your body in a catabolic or muscle burning state. We aimed to reverse this trend by using our "max effort lifts" and circuits simultaneously. The use of big lifts like squats, deadlifts and pressing 3 days a week with low rep ranges made our brain acknowledge the need for muscle thus preserving lean tissue. We then did 8-10 minute circuits nonstop for the lactate training effect. The goal here was to promote growth hormone and burn calories. We added cardio interval training on off days for a 6 day a week training schedule. 

The reason I did not outline the program exactly is I feel these types of programs are not for everyone. They are very demanding and can be counterproductive when done incorrectly.

For more information please go to www.powrperformance.com for contact information

He's Out There Grindin!

Hey, I want you to check out this guy. 

He's not super big, but if you look at the glute development on this animal, you wouldn't want him anywhere near your wife/girl friend.

PS. He's got on the old school Chuck T's as well. 

He probably could stomp a mud hole in your ass.

Some training updates as promised

Well I have pulled my head out of my butt and had 2 solid weeks of training. I'll make it short and sweet.

My objective is a bit of punishment followed by some functional hypertrophy based work.

Chest/Back:

A1) AP Bar Flat Bench with 100 lbs of chains. 125x8, 135x6, 135x6, 135x5. Could've got more
A2) Seated Rows using pronated, supinated and neutral grips 150x10, 165x10, 165x10, 175x8
B1) Incline DB Press with 2 second pause in stretched position. 70x8, 70x8 75x8. Holy Crap these are hard
B2) Pull Ups Fat Grip Bodyweight 3 sets of 8
C1) Trap 3
C2) External Rotaters

Lower Intensification:

A1) 200ft sled drag with 225lbs, This was brutal!!
A2) Seated Calves 3 sets of 15
B1) Step Ups at top of knee level 25 lb db 3 sets of 8
B2) Glute Ham Raises BW 3x8
C1) Poliquin Steps 25 lbs 3x15
C2) DB Swings 3x12 45 lbs

Shoulders/Arms: Going for the guns

A1) Seated Military Press 60x8, 65x 8, 70x4 (Punked Out)
A2) High Pulls 115x10, 125x10, 135x6 Haven't done them in awhile so had to guess where to start
B1) Triceps Circuit of death. Lying Triceps to skull 65x10 no rest, lying triceps to chin 65x10, to floor press 155x10. Weights fell dramatically on floor press, complete failure. Did circuit 3 times
C1) Biceps circuit of death. Reverse curls using a 3210 tempo. I'll explain later 65x10, seated hammer curls 30x10, standing ez bar curl 65xfailure, Two circuits and I was done

Lower Heavy:

A1) Squat to just below parallel using working weight 185 w/50lbs of chains x5, 2nd set same, add loose brief, 185 w/100 lbs of chains 2 sets of 5
A2) Lying Leg Curls 105x8, 120x8, 125x8, 125x7
B1) Reverse Lunge off Box w/30lb db 3x8
B2) Reverse Hyper 3x12
C1) Sprints 4x100ft
C2) Med Ball Slams
C3) V Ups 3x10

The second week was identical. No major adjustments. I had similar results with 5-10% strength advances in most areas. I will log the next 2 weeks when I complete them. I am having a solid week to start. More than likely due to a positive attitude at work. Lots of good vibes in the gym these days (Power Performance). Athletes making good gains. Makes me feel the need to be the leader so I am picking up the pace.

I will be posting some supplement protocols for balancing our energy levels and achieving good mental health. TO BE CONTINUED

Lets get fired up

Last article we discussed how stress modifies our behavior more than any other single factor and how this condition makes it difficult for people to relax. Well for as many people that have hypertension and are wired all day, there are plenty who drag their butts all day long too. So I will highlight some physical and personality traits common in this condition with some food examples that can help with mental focus and mental endurance.

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that affects the power of the mind and body. High Dopamine individuals are often powerful thinkers and quick witted. When feeling good, dopamine individuals have a very sharp edge. Like with all neurotransmitters, changes in hormones, diet, drug use (includes stimulants), allergies and sleep patterns have a direct effect on your dopamine. Below is a list of common symptoms and behaviors that can help determine a problem.

Physical Issues: Unstable blood sugar, tension, sugar cravings, inability to lose weight, joint pain, low sex drive, obesity, food cravings, high blood pressure, digestion problems, hyperglycemic, excessive sleep, diabetes

Personality Issues: Aggression, anger, carelessness, inability to handle stress, mood swings, isolation, feelings of hopelessness, forgetfullness

YANG FOOD CHART

YANG is a name given to a food or herb that means “fire”. I have developed a list of foods to choose from that will help fire up individuals and help get balanced in our daily lives. Try and eat these foods throughout the day. Add additional fruits and vegetables to your meals even if they are not listed.

Proteins: Chicken, Turkey, Wild Game, Free Range Eggs, Duck, Lean red meat, Pork, Sausage, Turkey Sausage

Carbohydrates/Dairy: Walnuts, Granola, Yogurt (Fage), Ricotta, Oat flakes, Chocolate, Cottage Cheese

Making healthy dietary choices is the foundation for a stable nature. These choices support you for your lifetime.

Relax and get healthy

Stress modifies our behavior more than any other single factor. Besides the obvious mood swings, it can contribute to drastic changes in energy levels morning and evening, when and if we eat, food choices and attitude. A good attitude can have the biggest impact on a healthy mind and body.

All physical and personality issues are directly related to different neurotransmitter (brain) deficiencies. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter responsible for a playful and calm nature. Changes in hormones, diet, drug use (includes stimulants), allergies and sleep patterns have a direct effect on your serotonin. Below is a list of common symptoms and behaviors that can help determine a problem.

Physical Issues: Aches and pains, Allergies, Arthritis, Weight gain, Salt cravings, Night sweats, Hypertension, Hypersensitive, Headaches, Sugar/carbohydrate cravings

Personality Issues: Codependent, Depression, Impulsive, Loner behaviors, Rage, Paranoia, Perfectionism, Obsessive-compulsive disorder, Confusion, Restless, Memory loss


YIN FOOD CHART

YIN is a name given to a food or herb that means “to calm”. This is very important to note given the stressful times we live in. So I have developed a list of foods to choose from that will help calm individuals, particularly in the evening, and help prepare them for a good nights sleep. This is a useful chart for people who also crave sugars. Try and eat these foods throughout the day. Add additional fruits and vegetables to your meals even if they are not listed.

Carbohydrates/Dairy:

Avocado, Granola, Yogurt (Fage), Cheese (Ricotta, Swiss, Provolone) Cottage Cheese, Rice Pudding, Oat Flakes

Proteins:

Chicken, Turkey, Wild Game, Pork, Sausage, Turkey Sausage, Free Range Eggs, Roast Beef, Duck

Getting started....again

Well it's a good thing training is a year round sport so I can feel better about the multiple times I take off within the season. Like everyone else I struggle with my focus. It's also hard for me to use the gym as my "sanctuary" or "get away" because this is all I do for a living. So I have played out all my excuses and I am gearing up for a mass building winter. So we are clear, this is not an excuse to eat anything I want, I just feel the need to be what other people/clients want to be. So I need to pack on a few pounds. My approach will be core compund lifts with consistent changes in my loading parameters. My nutrition will be clean but I may need to add some carbs for a calorie spike. I will be posting my training and nutrition for you to see but also for accountability and feedback.

What is the meaning of life? What day is it?

The meaning of life can change day to day. A big accomplishment or terrible tragedy can cause life's meaning to seem cloudy. The meaning of life after a job promotion might be to work hard and stay focused so you can continue moving up the corporate ladder. The reflection could come from someone seeing your success and it inspires them to work harder. If one were to be fired from a job life's meaning could be hopelessness.

What causes reflection? What sparks conversation about some of life's true meanings? More than likely it's the most recent , non day-to-day, incident that can cause it. Today I am reflecting and considering the meaning of life due to the death of a friend.

Every song I hear, picture, memory, seem to have me drawing images of her face in my head. I am trying to imagine those closest to her. I invision the best times they had and smile. All of her co workers remembering that time when....The joy of her having a child. The sadness the world (as I see it) has now that she is no longer with us. I take these emotions and try and apply them to my life as it is today.

I have been able to use this tragedy as a way of wanting to be better. Better at my job, as a husband, father, brother, son and human being. Through death can come hope.

Christine Marie Spence was a true light amongst darkness. With only 29 years in her short life, I was able to witness through her friends and family what a gift her life was. She left a true legacy of love and created a template for others to live by. She is loved and will be missed.

I believe reflection is a way of learning. We need to reflect so we can see our true potential through life's lessons. Tomorrow is not promised. Be sure and live today.

Train more,eat less and gain fat??

Is it possible to actually gain fat when I train more and eat less??...Yes! This should not be hard to believe. Go to the gym, set your sites on the cardio area and describe what you see. Well? You guessed it. Most people are overweight. Now some may be new to training, but most have been there awhile. A long while. In fact I have even heard of some having their mail delivered to their treadmill. Aerobic training is hard work. So hard I don't do it..lol. I do give people credit for their work ethic, but how long are you going to wait for your "new body" to come. As for eating less, well, it's just ridiculous. How can depriving your body of nutrients and physically demanding more add up to more muscle and less fat?

Simply put, if you ask for more, you need more. I have never heard of someone becoming overweight when eating 6 meals a day comprised of good protein, quality fats and vegetables. Common sense should be kicking in anytime now. In regards to training more, again I say, your nutrition has to match your work load. Train more = eat more. Just choose healthier foods.

It is not always the work ethic that is in question, it is the design. I applaud those making time in their days for training. Let's just get our information up to date. Train smart and eat smart and live a long healthy life. Peace

Nutrition negotiations

Everbody wants to live healthier. The most common question I am asked is "What do I eat?". As my nutritional logic has shifted over the years so has my advice. As results improved I have become less lenient with the types of food choices I allow my clients to make. This hard-line has actually been at times ineffective. I had trouble with this. Someone is asking me for help, I give an extremely accurate response and people respond with " I really can't eat that?..ooh" or "Hamburger and cashews for breakfast? Why can't I have oatmeal and a glass of milk?". At times I have pushed so hard I actually pushed clients right out the door. I didn't get it. Then it occurred to me that we are all starting from different points. For some, it is their first attempt at a new lifestyle. For others, maybe just need to make some slight adjustments to an already decent meal plan. The key here is progression. We need to try and make small steps towards our goals. Some move faster than others. As long as we are true to our own personal development, something is better than nothing.

Hey guys....check your ego at the door

The reason for this is because it could be standing in the way of your true potential. I am starting to think if all men trained at home by themselves, I would have a shop full of jacked athletes. We instead choose commercial gyms packed with women and treadmills, for the sake of what we refer to as "atmosphere". Some basic principles seem to apply in these facilities:

1)Concentration curls and benching are choice excercises.
2)Be sure and apply the max effort 1/4 depth squat as well.
3)And just skip the deadlifts all together.

These gyms do have one postive though, they help us with our posture. You know, we walk tall sticking our chests out for all to see..lol. Now I am not saying to quit and start an underground gym, I am simplying saying to use core lifts, good form and a program design that meets your individual objectives regardless of what others are saying or doing. Mostly, worry less about your poundages or programs based on other people's perception of strength and quality.

Be less concerned with opinions of others. Society is packed with stress and negative behaviours. Our training carries over to all aspects of our lives. So get the most from it.

Rhyme and reason

I had a gentleman come into the store yesterday. Real nice guy, full of energy. He came to me for advice on his training. So he began a 20 minute disertation on how he has went from wanting to get lean to wanting to add size. Now he simultaiously wants to enter into MMA. I found his determination and work ethic to be excellent. So I asked him to describe his training and guess what I found? He has done absolutely nothing different in years. His version of being progressive was either adding sets or subtracting sets based on how he "feels", or wheter to train for an hour or hour and a half. Now I am not trying to make fun of the situation, rather make a point that your training and nutrition have to be coordinated to your objective. There is a saying "What gets measured gets improved". There needs to be a rhyme and a reason for why we do what we do.

Stay focused and healthy, but mostly, stay happy!

Added to yesterdays blog....

I was hoping to get someone at least thinking about yesterdays topic. It worked! But not the way some would think. There was a response to the video from some guy titled "Whoop". No, this was not a response to me, but I felt the need to comment. This type of opinion is also more common than you would think. Now rather than paraphrase his thoughts, I decided to post them. Here you go:

I really don't care for this stupid "surgeon general" position in the federal gov't. Sure, having an NIH, CDC, and other public health organizations is one thing, but, my god, don't have some physician or surgeon telling me or my family how to live our lives OUTSIDE the doctor's office! That's insane. It's just as insane as the ONDCP and the "drug czar" telling us not to do drugs. The state serves the people, not the other way around. I don't want gov't babying me like a child.

Now this just blows me away. Someone gives factual information for our massive health decline and this guy takes it personally. I can guarantee when we have stood over friends and loved ones caskets we have all asked the question "Why?". Now we receive some answers and we want people butting out of our lives. I will remember this next time I watch someone drinking gasoline. I will assume they want me staying out of it.

This gentleman may seem excessive in his thoughts but in all my years of nutritional counsel I found one phrase that descibes a large majority of my client base, Non-compliant!!

Let's not let good information go to waste. It is good to "Fight the Good Fight" just make sure it's the right one.

I was watching a youtube video from the surgeon general Richard Carmona. This piece was fascinating to me. It outlined his views on America's Public Enemy #1. I assumed this to be a speech involving global warning or maybe terrorist's. Actually it was on obesity. Rather than use this entry to outline statistics on the subject (which are mind-blowing) I found one statistic to be the most shocking. A video on America's #1 Enemy had been viewed only 830 times in 3 months...hmmm....9 million obese children (and growing) and 830 views. Well because I am not a youtube guru, I decided to test the amount of views to other popular topics.

MUSIC: The rapper "Surgeon General" (I have never heard of him) 2000-4000 views. Not bad

ADULT: Top 5 listings under "Boobs" average 1,000,000 hits in a matter of months..??

ENTERTAINMENT: Lindsay Lohan's most recent "leaving the club" 9400 views...in 2 days. The rest are in the mega millions

The point being, as much as I hear about the health epidemic in our country, I see nothing being done about it. With the amount of time we spend online and with the obvious change in "average" I pray for an increase in research on subjects that will directly effect our lives. We all will have to be accountable for something. I can't believe our health and the health of our loved ones is not more of a priority.